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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: fan · drill · pound · suit · can · wake · bass · court

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. drill — the tool
  3. can — a tin
  4. can — a tin
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. bass — the fish
  8. can — to be able to
  9. suit — clothes
  10. wake — a trail
  11. drill — a practice
  12. court — for sport
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. suit — in cards
  15. bass — low music
  16. pound — a weight
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. court — of a king
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. drill — army training
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. suit — to fit
  24. court — of law

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com